MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 45 
After a killing frost in the fall, the stems should be cut 
close to the ground and the tubers carefully dug, avoiding 
the breaking of necks. After allowing them to dry fora day, 
the clumps should be stored in a cool, dry place, tops down. 
If the temperature is likely to rise much above Boe F. or 
should the atmosphere be too dry, they should be buried 
in moist sand, fine coal ashes, or sawdust. Excess of moisture 
should be avoided. 
The diseases attacking dahlias are of negligible quantity, 
the most serious being the powdery mildew, which, how- 
ever, is readily controlled by spraying with sulphur or Bor- 
deaux mixture. 
A little more troublesome are the insect pests. In moist 
localities slugs are quite common, feeding upon the young 
shoots and often the buds and leaves. Hand capture at 
night is a common and successful method, while poisoned 
bran bait scattered at the base of the plants is quite effective, 
as is also naphthalene or lime. The tarnished plant bug is 
a serious pest at certain seasons, blighting or deforming the 
flower by piercing the bud at its base, or ruining the petals 
after sis is small brown active bug is a sucking 
insect not subject to stomach poisoning and is so alert as to 
make contact spraying almost impossible. Covering the 
plants with close-mesh netting may eliminate the pest, 
which, however, disappears with the advent of cool nights. 
Red spider, and black and green aphis are readily controlled 
by contact spraying with nicotine extracts. Borers working 
in the stalks may be removed without much harm to the 
plant by splitting the stalk with a sharp knife and killing the 
insect. 
For satisfactory use as cut flowers the blooms should be 
cut early in the morning or late in the evening. The stems 
should be placed in deep water in a cool place. The keep- 
ing quality may be improved by removing most of the 
foliage, plunging the stems in hot water and then placing 
in cold water to which a teaspoonful of salt to the gallon has 
~ been added. 
The following are some of the best varieties for decoration 
and cutting which were grown at the Garden in 1918: 
NAME TYPE COLOR 
Ai Di. LAVORA Sods ew knead s ois Show Pink 
BPAUAIIA a 5 5 blk wae aetna se Sek es Show White 
Auguste Nonin .........+.-+-e+++0+- Decorative Red 
MORON ia Ry POC ee S85 OTT Cactus Reddish apricot 
Prensa awe. < oss eee eae Decorative Orange 
